Gallagher Hopes To Benefit From Rest

Paul Gallagher wants his teammates to take advantage of a full week’s preparation not offered to their opponents, when Leyton Orient visit on Saturday.

The Leicester City loanee was able to relax on Tuesday night, whilst Saturday’s opponents dealt with a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Bristol City.

And he is hoping that the tough midweek game will take its toll on Russell Slade’s men come Saturday afternoon.

In an exclusive interview with PNE.Com, Gallagher said: “Every game is just three points; there is no point beating the top teams if, no disrespect to the lower teams, you struggle against them.

“We have to go into every game believing that we can win.

“We give respect to every team in the league and they must be a decent team to be in this league, so it is another game, but one the fans will be looking forward to and the players and staff are looking forward to.

“They had a tough game on Tuesday against Bristol City, so hopefully we can take advantage of the week’s rest.

“When you get in a rut, it is quite difficult to get out of it, but they are a good team.

“They will be thinking the quicker they get out of it the better, but we know to put pressure on them and if we get an early goal it will put them under pressure because they have lost a few games and if you concede an early goal then you are under the cosh.

“We will give them the respect that they deserve because they have done well this season but hopefully we will have too much for them.

“We have got high confidence, the results have been good and in the FA Cup we played a very good Championship team and we gave them a great game.

“We have got players here who can affect games and win games, so we are looking forward to the game.

“It is going to be a big game, but you don’t want to get too overexcited because every game is big in this league and there are only 17 left, so we need to look at every one and try to obviously win every one.

“If we can win every home game then I think we will be in with a good shout.

“The mood in the camp is very relaxed as always, it is going to be a good game and hopefully a lot of people come to watch.

“We have been playing some good football and Leyton Orient have been on a bit of a sticky patch, but when they come to Deepdale they will be up and ready to play.

“So we have got to be on our best game and hopefully we will be.”

North End have not lost a league fixture at Deepdale in 2014, that coupled with several impressive away performances and Preston is a positive place to be around at present.

This has also been recognised by the Lilywhite faithful, with the decibel level both home and away having been raised in recent matches.

And Gallagher insists that everyone is in it together, as PNE search for a return to the Championship.

“When you are going for a promotion push, it is the Club, it’s the fans, it’s the players, the staff, we are as one,” continued the North End No.12.

“We want to make Deepdale a fortress and a difficult place for teams to come and it has been like that since I have been here.

“It’s been very loud and if we can get a few more in towards the back end of the season to give us that push it would be great.

“The away support has been fantastic this season, we took over 1,700 to Tranmere on Saturday and even on Tuesday nights like at Port Vale, we had a terrific following.

“As players, we thrive on seeing a big crowd and we try and put on a show for the fans and the most important thing is to get the three points for the Club.”

Gallagher, in his second spell with the Club, has been a vital asset to manager Simon Grayson since his return.

And the Scot is pleased to be back playing regularly with a smile on his face.

“I have enjoyed myself, I believe I am playing quite well but I’d like to have a few more goals to my name,” added Gallagher.

“It is not about me scoring goals though, it is about the team getting three points and since I have been here we have been on a good run.

“Every time we have lost one, we have bounced back and went on a nice little run, so hopefully we can continue that until the end of the season and I’m sure we will be pushing that top two all the way.

“We are only six points off Wolves at the minute and everyone has got to play each other.

“At this time in the season, anything can happen.

“Bristol City went down to Leyton Orient and won, so nothing is certain in football.

“It is all about us keeping our heads and concentration and just taking each game as it comes, not looking any further ahead than that.

“I know it is an old cliché but it is one that works well and I know the manager won’t let anyone look any further than that.

“We will look forward to Leyton Orient, that is the next game and all we want to do is get three points.”

Watch the big game for just ##MP_PRICE##

Interested in ##GAME_DESC##?

It’s not long before the ##US_NICK## kick off. If you couldn’t make the game but still want to follow the live action then it’s not too late. Don’t miss out and enjoy every single minute for only ##MP_PRICE## with one of our Match Passes. Book your ticket before the ref blows the whistle.

##US_INF## are live for just ##MP_PRICE##

Hello ##US_NICK## fan

It’s a big game today and you’d probably like to be standing in the stands right now waiting for the teams to arrive. We’ve got the next best thing. You can watch all the live action from ##GAME_DESC## with one of our Match Passes. They only cost ##MP_PRICE## for the best view in the stadium.